Baconjack

Iirc Jet Rescue had mist after the tunnel that houses the 2nd launch. I remember JR still having the mist in that spot as late as 2013. Same for Surfrider when i was last at WnW around the same time. Also, if memory serves me correct Superman's effects were steam and not mist, and were removed as a safety issue, completely unrelated to batwing.

I like to judge 'iconic' by public recognition and international fame. And for that, it's an easy pick and it isn't even on the Gold Coast. Building on Jobe's point, I'd throw in the Wild Mouse or Coney Island at LPS, or the Scenic Railway at LPM. 100%. All three are well known for their historical value considering they have been around for 50+ years (100+ for scenic railway), are well known on a global level and are pretty significant reasons as to why both parks are tourist attractions for many visiting those cities. IMO I do not think any of the current attractions on the Gold Coast are more 'iconic' than any of these, with the exception of maybe GD on its own. Literally nobody cares about Superman or WWF outside of Australia. DC Rivals is still relatively new. Sea World has the dolphins but not sure on how 'iconic' they are. DW has nothing other than GD (that I get to later) If we go by past attractions I'd say there's a few more that can be considered. Corkscrew at SW (and Vikings to a lesser extent) was used quite extensively in marketing materials for the Gold Coast from the 80's to 2000's that also gave it a lot of recognition. On a similar note to Corkscrew, Thunderbolt was the poster boy for early life Dreamworld and the Gold Coast theme parks in general for much of its life. Wipeout saved the park and was a park favourite for many people but not on the level of ToT or Thunderbolt. Finally, the Dreamworld Tower rides combined have a lot of international recognition, broke records, arguably put the Gold Coast on the map and were easily the signature attraction at DW for its entire lifespan (and can be argued it still is, for GD anyway)

I didn't really care when Sea Viper was removed. The iron cage restraints were extremely uncomfortable when compared to the old train and made the ride experience much worse. When it happens though, it is definitely Arkham. Worst coaster on the coast as far as i'm concerned and was quite a brutal leg basher in its last years.

I mean to their credit they were at least somewhat right with DC Rivals being a 'world best ride' considering what I hear about it in other roller coaster or theme park-related spaces on the net outside of Parkz. By all accounts those overseas who somehow have the credit love it. Leviathan? Nah this is going a bit far this probably won't even be a top woodie.

My vote goes to Bermuda. I didn't ride when it was new but when I went on it as a kid in 2006 (when the gas was still working) I thought the experience was really cool back then. Highly themed dark rides/boat rides are definitely my cup of tea and Bermuda is 100% still the best themed ride this country has ever had. Unfortunately those days of ambitious themed family attractions are long gone as Village now likes building flashy thrill rides. Scooby-Doo is fine in its current state but I felt its image was tarnished quite a bit by its early life bugs which were fixed by the time of my last visit to the park late last year. I agree with the criticism of the animations, they would have been good by 2005 standards. Some parts of the ride I thought were executed rather poorly when compared to the original - the mirror scene and the post-brake run scene are the specific examples I'll draw my attention to. Some parts however I felt were better than the original though. The screens in the elevator lift I prefer to the original where nothing was there.

I mean it almost happened before Eisner stepped in and decided Hong Kong was the better investment. I may have a low opinion of Eisner and even with HKDL failing in the early days I think he made the right judgement in this case. It was the early 90’s, Euro Disney had failed and Disney had to play it safe with their park projects. China was a much safer pick for a new build park over Australia.

Wow. Had absolutely no idea this existed and I did some sleuthing on the small handful of historical newspaper archives I am subscribed to and found nothing else relating to this proposal at all whatsoever so this is all that exists. At that time I think it was very ambitious for the park to basically build a coaster that took up the entire park. Judging by the layout and what is described in the article it is surprisingly quite resemblant of what is now Sidewinder, same manufacturer, inversions and elements. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that Arrow would have re-worked quite a lot of this plan into what we got considering it would have been at an advanced stage at the time. Same core elements, the loop, dive loop, helix and overbanks in a smaller plot of land while being taller and faster.

Arkham is gone for sure 100% given its closure has essentially been a foregone conclusion for a very long time. My guess is the monorail is the other ride that closes. Don't know much about WnW so I won't comment on what could go there. I think you're forgetting DW still has 6 major thrill rides, soon to be 7. Their three coasters they have may be a laughable joke especially when compared to whats down the road but flats wise they are still well ahead of Village's offerings even after losing Wipeout. Same goes for family and kids rides although ABC kids losing its anchor in Big Red Car Ride doesn't help. The figure Ardent committed to spending last year ($50 million) leaves room for around $20m of capex when discounting the coaster. I think it was discussed at the time as being allocated towards a flat to replace Wipeout and the ABC Kids World expansion which was going to take over TOT and BRCC. These plans obviously being mothballed nowadays given corona. Sidewinder won't be going anywhere given Dreamworld are repainting it at the minute and the coaster is quite simple mechanically when compared to let's say, Wipeout or TOT. Neither will Shockwave given its a very common ride type that's not very old with plenty of manufacturer support and spare parts.

I'd love to see Aussie World, LPM or Adventure World gobble up Buzzsaw if they were prepared to buy it. A pretty cheap way to add a big ride that doesn't take up a lot of land. DW buying buzzsaw was a head scratching decision for me. They bought a ride from a low tier manufacturer that had a poor track record even at the time whose most successful models are small spinning coasters and wild mice. Remember that when Buzzsaw was built Ardent at the time was penny pinching... I wouldn't be surprised to hear that when they realised they had to get a big thrill ride they went with the cheapest possible option, which was more than likely the skyloop. Nowadays DW have to live with the consequences of their owners being cheapskates with yet another problem child ride in their lineup. Almost 10 years after the fact DW have a double whammy, a ride that is most of the time shut, and when it's not shut, its a ride that nobody wants to queue up for because it is a one trick pony that also doubles as a bone shaker.

MW or DW standard isnt exactly a high bar to be fair at the minute, especially considering Westfield is an appropriate standard for both companies in terms of presentation. They are already halfway there in terms of presentation, the historical buildings and aforementioned Flying Saucer/Big Dipper fixtures have been done up and look fantastic. But anywhere else thats where the presentation starts to crumble. Maloney's corner is basically a parking lot with zero scenery whatsoever, something acceptable for the Royal Show, not a boardwalk park. Keeping around the 80's rides is not retro. There is a difference between retro and outdated. Tumble Bug, Ranger and Spider are all examples of the latter and in an ideal world should be replaced ASAP but as we know the process to build a new ride is extremely lengthy so it will be a long time till we see all 3 replaced with actual proper 'retro' rides that call back to the 60's. Similarly, suggesting that literal carnival rides are 'true to the park's aesthetic and history' is a pretty bad take, though for reasons I've already said that doesn't bother me too much. Perhaps I think too much of LPS but I do see potential for it to be our equivalent of Grona Lund that is well presented. Given what has been done so far its definitely showing some promise but there's still a long way to go to finish up the park's transformation in the buildings. Maloney's Corner needs to be properly integrated into the park rather than what it is now, Tumble Bug/dodgems fixture needs a redo, Big Top needs some paint, and the ticket booth needs a repaint. Plus some new permanent rides that match the presentation of Volare. Not too tall an order to be honest considering what they have been able to achieve so far.

They do. Volare is probably the best presented ride in the park and has a decent set of LED's when compared to the old flats. TBH that doesnt say a lot considering a good chunk of the park screams parking lot coaster. The renovation of the existing fixtures is something I'm definitely a fan of. The old Flying Saucer lighthouse & cafe repaint and the old Big Dipper entrance look a lot better than they used to be plus the LED packages are a nice touch as well. Pretty sure that's all done now because that aspect of change is a lot easier to get past the residents. Look gimme a new coaster anyday and LPS have looked at one in the past but it'll be difficult to fit a decent one in given the space they have, let alone constructing one which is practically begging for resident action given the endless battle Multiplex has with the neighbours. A ride on the scale of Sidewinder/GoldCoaster is not going to happen again. At the end of the day LPS is hard pressed for space and the space is better spent on an extra flat or hell even an empty space for school holiday rides. I'm definitely not a fan of the 'school holiday rides' strategy as it completely breaks the park's appearance and screams Royal Show rather than a genuine effort at a boardwalk park but I recognise that it is a crucial component of the amusements side of the park. A park like Grona Lund would be a good example to hold LPS to account. A very good boardwalk park that is well presented that doesn't need the flashy rides. I think they are halfway there and they are definitely trying but administrative and planning issues has definitely slowed those plans to a halt so they have no choice but to keep their 80's carnival rides running for as long as possible.

I think its quite a common practice in the theme park industry to create an ambitious vision for a ride and then suddenly things like budget come into play and things slowly get cut over time. Its not a new thing for our parks either - remember Storm? Buzzsaw? I don't think the creativity and ambition to build those themed experiences is there when compared to the time when Bermuda Triangle and LTRR were built. For quite a while Village has taken the angle of building big coasters and flashy flats with bare bones presentation over a truly cohesive and themed experience and that can be definitely seen by any ride at MW built in the last 10 years which has a nice sign, some 2D graphics here and there, but when they try to create a themed experience such as the Scooby-Doo refurb they fail. To demonstrate what I mean with difference between expecation/reality here's a concept made for Superman at SFMM. You couldnt even tell that this project was going to be for a Six Flags park, but when budgets came into play, obviously much of this extensive theming was scaled back. Even Disney projects have had at least some degree of difference between expectation vs reality at some point, need one only glance at the difference between concept and reality for any post-Paris Eisner project neutered by budget cuts such as New Tomorrowland, the Hong Kong park and DCA to see that. On the topic of the DW coaster I don't necessarily see any major differences between concept and finished product. On that end it will be similar to what we see in the NL render with decent landscaping and what have you. Given, DW hasn't promised anywhere remotely close to the level of detail that SW have put on the Atlantis precinct, so its much easier to deliver on that regard.

Lots and lots of red tape and planning shit has to go through. Thats probably the only reason why this park has sat on its hand and nothing has progressed. It is a seemingly endless battle that has no winner. From what I've seen LPS try to procur, I can say they have tried but too often this doesn't see the light of day. When you have picky rich neighbours that have a pretty extensive history of having a sook every single time a new ride gets installed or announced it should be no surprise that things have slowed. Its been the plan for nearly 10 years to give the whole park a facelift and all thats happened since then is a like for like ride replacement, a few building fixture changes and a Wave Swinger that opened 2 years after initially planned. If we were at the pace management wanted everything would have been replaced by now.

Did you see anything happening at the Ranger? As for what is happening theyve planned to pull these rides for a number of years now as the 25+ years worth of sea air has meant that they have been reaching the end of their service life. When they got rid of Flying Saucer a few years back it was obvious that the other rides were on the way out. I wouldn't be surprised if this was indeed the final knell for Tumble Bug and Ranger.

These products seem generally bland and uninspired. The Giga Splash seems like a modern take on the old Perilous Plunge concept Intamin did in the past, the Ultra Splash is basically identical to a Mack powersplash and the Hot Racer seems like their take on West Coast Racer. I like the idea of a powersplash at DW personally but a family water ride definitely needs to come first. I personally don’t mind the idea of a Joker themed RMC or one of the new Vekoma inverts that have the new gen track. A large coaster that has inversions is the gap in the park’s lineup when you take out AA. Not to mention you’d have a pretty stellar top 3 not just in Australia but in the entire world. I would have preferred something like Steel Curtain at MW but the likelihood Village deals with S&S again is slim to none.

Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhh... no. Let's have a think about it. WnW can be excluded for obvious reasons. As for SW, I think it wouldn't be a bad idea to build this, however they are going to be short on land after Leviathan is built. MW is a bit more tricky. I think its too close of an experience to Superman however the triple launch and inversions does provide at least some degree of differentiation. At the moment though, MW is landlocked so the only way it could go in is by ripping out a ride such as AA (which is definitely a likely possibility at this point). More likely than not if it is sold, its going overseas to a park in China, Vietnam or Thailand. Much less likely, one of our small local parks such as Adventure World or Aussie World buy it and put themselves on the map, but a ride like this I feel is outside of either park's financial resources especially after being strained by the pandemic.

From my visit last year its a mixed bag. Most of the major rides are in Japanese, many of which not having any subtitles. That includes Harry Potter, Despicable Me and Spider-Man. Didn't ride Jaws or Terminator on my visit so I can't comment on those. A few of the shows are mixed English/Japanese and they have subtitles in most of the shows that take place indoors such as the Sing one. However others dont have subtitles, such as the Backdraft walkthrough and Waterworld.

Manor closed last year so its been gone for a while now. It was always meant to be a temporary attraction from the start however its stay was extended because of its popularity. Unfortunately you can't just walk into the park at the moment and see what's going on these days. Ranger and Tumble Bug being deleted from the map pretty much confirms the end of their stay at the park, though. So much for a send off but anyone following LPS closely in recent years knew Ranger's days were numbered. Speaking of which.... There's an odd one missing. Rotor isn't mentioned on the map either. Site says its down for maintenance and unlike Tumble Bug or Ranger it still has the page on it up, so I don't think it gets axed. The thought of removing it is enough to generate some Mr Toad's vibes given its history and popularity with the public.

LPS have been looking to get rid of Ranger for at least the last three years so its removal doesnt surprise me at all. Matter of fact, a couple of years ago they nearly sold it to a showman until the deal fell through at the 11th hour. Tumble Bug is the real surprise here as I thought it would be the last of the Huss flats to be pulled. Nonetheless, both rides are showing their age now having operated nearly continuously for 30+ years originally coming from expo, and 25 years of sea air hasn't treated them nicely. I enjoyed these rides growing up too and have ridden them hundreds of times each, but it is a positive sign that the Park is removing these rides because this is part of their long term plan to update the park - LPS have been trying to get rid of their old Huss flats for the better part of a decade at this point.

I am also planning a trip to America for next year. Doing LA, Ohio, New York and Florida, anything in a nearby distance I've put into consideration to go to. The obvious ones are the Disney parks and Universal. Cedar Point and Six Flags Magic Mountain would probably be 2 day parks if you want to get the major rides in. I can't think of any of the other Six Flags or Cedar Fair chain parks needing 2 days unless you want to do absolutely everything. Maybe you could make the case for Great Adventure or Kings Island but I haven't allocated 2 days to do either. Walt Disney World I've chosen to spend 5 days at, 1 for Magic Kingdom, Epcot, MGM Studios, Animal Kingdom, and Star Wars gets its own day because from what I've read the crowds are ridiculous for that area alone. Universal Studios is probably 2-3 days, 1 for the main park, another for Islands of Adventure, and another for just Harry Potter, again, the crowds I hear are ridiculous for the Harry Potter rides. If you do Disney parks, to save time I picked one park to go and do as much of, so 5 days for WDW. Having Disneyland added on is another 3 days minimum to do everything, even though I'll be in LA to go to Six Flags Magic Mountain. Similarly, I chose to go to Universal Orlando over Hollywood for the same reason, although Hollywood could be probably done in one day.

@docoaster is the guy who did Rivals rendering. VRTP picked him up after he posted a prediction POV based on the footers so Village looking at these forums is not new.

Honestly looking at some of the photos of the in progress painting, it reminds me of the old Big Dipper colours with the old yellow track and the repainted white supports. While I never rode it in Sydney, I'd imagine seeing that view of the bridge and Lavender Bay is a lot better than what you see at the current location - the DW parking lot and Buzzsaw to the right. Really added to the charm of the ride, as mediocre as the ride may be. In hindsight though its a wonder how they got away with building a coaster that tall and large.

It seems to me this clickbait shit was written in 2018 by some washed up journo, mothballed for a couple of years and then finally published in lockdown in a desperate click hungry cash grab. The complete absence of any of the three attractions Dreamworld closed in 2019 is very telling of this. The demographics that this kind of clickbait crap usually appeals to are very likely going to have no idea what Magic Mountain is or any of the opening day MW attractions.

Adding onto this point this is where I consider such a conversion to be marketable. Records are eye catching to the public and also to an extent overseas as well with the advent of social media and clickbait videos (see the Stratosphere rides as an example). There's a reason why for nearly 20 years, theme parks around the world were constantly trying to build the biggest, longest and fastest rides, something DW themselves participated in. DC Rivals was built up as the tallest, fastest and longest coaster in the Southern Hemisphere. While those stats mean jack shit for us who are well read on the industry, for the GP that don't know how many roller coasters are south of the equator, it makes it appear a lot bigger and impressive than it really is. So imagine Dreamworld having the world's tallest and fastest face first drop tower, as well as being the only ride of its type in Australia, the Southern Hemisphere, and just 1 of 3 in the entire world. If the conversion is found to be structurally and financially feasible, it honestly seems like a no-brainer to me, and along with a new thrill ride to replace Wipeout, makes Dreamworld's thrill ride collection almost comparable to what's on offer down the road.

Aussie World should consider a Larson-style drop tower like the model LPS has installed. I've always though it was the best ride at Luna Park in my opinion - that drop tower is tiny but it is a genuinely terrifying ride experience, even compared to GD which is over two times the height and other tall drop towers I've ridden overseas. Perfect fit for the park in my opinion, as it isnt an oversized frog hopper like the Zamperla offerings, and it probably is within their budget compared to the Intamin and S&S offerings. As for the face down gondola Falcon's Fury tech, a lot of people on these forums (myself included) have suggested Dreamworld look into whether or not the existing Dreamworld Tower can be converted to use the Falcon's Fury-style ride cars. In my opinion, I think this is how we will get such an experience in Australia.